


The Fallout

by EventHorizons13



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, F/M, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:27:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: Isobel still hasn't heard from Bill after telling him off the night before. Things go from bad to worse as time ticks away.
Relationships: Bill Nolan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1





	The Fallout

**Author's Note:**

  * For [robinwritesallthethings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinwritesallthethings/gifts).



> So, I've been sitting on this for awhile. What better time to give it than for a birthday? Happy Birthday Robin!

Bill never showed back up to his apartment that night. Isobel tried not to panic about that. If he had a little too much to drink, he had hopefully slept it off somewhere. Alone. But those were thoughts for another time. There was a bigger concern for his well-being over the worry that she felt that maybe the alcohol had left him to doing something stupid as it often did. He had never ventured into those waters before, he had always been faithful and she had never been given a reason to think otherwise. But she had said some awful things to him last night when he had been trying to be kind and surprise her. Guilt settled heavily in her chest and it was a feeling that she couldn't shake, wouldn't be able to until she laid eyes on him.

Getting to the office, she happened to stop in with Captain Brass, needing to know if there had been anything that happened overnight. No fights and no reports of anything getting out of hand. She thanked the man softly. How was she supposed to be able to work when her focus was on her missing boyfriend? She chided herself and let out a slow breath. He wasn't missing. He had spent the night out and that was that. Surely she would get a call or a text soon enough. Even if he was still upset, he would let her know something. 

The hours ticked by and while Isobel did her best to focus on work, getting done more than what she expected herself to be able to, half of her attention was still split on the phone. Lunch rolled around and she still hadn't heard anything. Could he really have been that upset about last night? Guilt rolled in her gut and threw her off game for the rest of the day. She wasn't good with these sorts of things. She decided to try to give him a text and see if he responded. Maybe that was easier than talking. It was a simple one, just her asking him to tell her that he was at least okay. 

She gave it to the end of the day before real worry started to set in. There hadn't been a single call or text. The message even went unread. She probably wasn't welcomed at the apartment but she had to make sure that he was okay. At least she could deal with the anger and whatever else might be coming her way if she was able to lay eyes on him. Her mind was beginning to wander into dangerous territory and she didn't want to even think about all the possibilities, the crime scenes she had seen. Bill couldn't be one of those bodies laying there on the ground. He was smarter than that. Even drunk. But this was Vegas. 

A shuddering breath passed her lips, her pace quickening as she pulled out her key. The apartment was quiet, just like she had left it that morning. Nothing was out of place. No sounds of snoring, no shower, no soft hum of music. There wasn't the distinct smell of the takeout he liked for a hangover. 

"Bill?" She edged her way through the apartment before coming to the bedroom. Empty and bed still made. Her heart caught in her throat. He hadn't been home at all today. Now the worry was really setting in. He could be with someone else but she had thought better of him than that. He may have had some questionable judgement at times but he wasn't that sort of man, he wouldn't do something like that. It was a better thought than the alternative, even if it made her heart ache. She pulled out her phone and decided to call him again. Straight to voicemail this time. 

"Bill, I don't care where you are, I just need to know you are okay. Even if it's just a one word text. Please," she paused for a second to gather herself. "Just tell me you are okay." It was all that she could do for the moment. It wasn't like she could file a missing persons report. She didn't really know if he was missing in the first place and it had been just under twenty four hours. If he didn't show up for his shift tomorrow, then she would start to get a little more concerned and debate some action.

*******

Isobel sat in Gil's office, fingers fidgeting. The rest of the team was gathered there as well. Silence reigned over them for once, not a single person speaking until Gil finally began. Assignment time but this felt different. Everyone knew exactly what one of the assignments was. Bill Nolan had been missing for the better part of a week now. No one had seen or heard from him. The cellphone had been found in the middle of the desert yesterday, officially turning this into a missing persons case. CSI were going to be involved, combing over the area that the phone had been found in. 

Isobel wanted to be on the case but she didn't know if Gil would allow it. She was too close and objectivity was a concern. But she would do this by the books. It meant being closer to finding Bill and she couldn't focus on another case when she knew that this one could be worked. 

The assignments were handled out and Gil placed himself and Nick with her for Bill's case. She was relieved but also felt a spike of worry. She would know before anyone told her. She would rather find out that way. If he was gone, if something horrible had happened to him, it was better to know than be in the dark, waiting for someone to bring her some information. 

Gil pulled her aside.

"I need to know you can do this Isobel." His voice was soft when he spoke, knowing that she was having a hard time.

"I can do this Gil. I need to do this." He nodded slowly.

"I will pull you from the case…" The threat was open ended and Isobel completely understood. She didn't want to do anything to jeopardize Bill, if he was still out there. Her eyes closed for a moment and she chided herself again. He was out there. He had to be. She couldn't let herself think like that. Not yet. It was still a rescue search, not a recovery. 

"Understood Gil."

"Good. Grab your kit. Let's go." The group mobilized and was off. 

*****

It was hot, that brutal, don't be outside for longer than you absolutely needed to be sort of hot. Isobel pushed the rush of worry aside and had to focus. There could be something right in front of her that could lead to Bill. It couldn't be missed. By her or anyone. Letting out a slow breath, they began to move around, looking for anything and everything that might give them a clue as to what happened. The spot seemed relatively undisturbed but that happened out here. The wind blew for a few minutes and suddenly the crime scene was gone. 

Every rock made her think it was his hat but he hadn't been wearing it that night. He had cleaned up, made himself more presentable than usual so he could take her out. If she kept thinking about that, she was going to miss something. Or break down. Right then, she didn't know which one was worse. Neither option would do any good for Bill or herself. She had to keep it together and keep working. That was the only way that they would find him. 

There was nothing. Isobel felt like pulling at her hair. His cellphone had been found here. How could there be nothing? They had to have missed something. This couldn't be another situation where they came up empty handed. It wasn't just another person. This was Bill. Those thoughts should have lended themselves to more guilt. But, in the moment, they didn't. This, right now, was the most important thing in the world. 

She could hear the murmurs of the others. Some of the officers felt that it was pointless. Even when he was one of their own. Gil wouldn't give up until the evidence told him to, that much she could trust. She took a final walk around, making sure nothing seemed out of the ordinary or the wind hadn't stirred something up. Why would his phone have been out here? Could it have been someone who just carelessly tossed it? This spot could have no meaning whatsoever. Her thoughts circled, cycling through the same cynical pattern. If she had just listened, none of this would have happened. 

Nothing appeared. Isobel felt equally frustrated and relieved in an odd sense. He wasn't laying there under the sand. That had to be a comfort. She needed to take it as a small victory or she wasn't going to make it. 

"The cellphone still needs to be processed," Gil offered. That meant a chance of figuring out who else may have touched it. That led to the possibility of more leads. She had to content herself with that, swallowing hard and giving her boss a nod. 

"Okay." Nick fell in line beside her. He had been encouraging in the beginning, feeling confident that they would find the man. It had been a week though and everyone was feeling the strain. The case may have been opened for two days but that didn't mean that they were obviously to the passage of time. The longer this went on, the less likely they were to have a good outcome. And they had all been there. Nick wouldn't give up though, not when it meant something so personal to someone close. He and Sarah had found that little girl after all. They could do this.

******

They got lucky. There were prints on that phone that weren't Bill's or hers. They belonged to a man that she wasn't familiar with. Isobel liked to think that she understood Bill and had a grasp on who he was acquaintances with. This man didn't fit the list at all. She couldn't be in on the questioning but she watched closely, unable to tear herself away. If he knew something, she needed to know it sooner rather than later. She didn't need anyone hiding it from her out of worry that she couldn't handle it. The man at the table was nervous and when Brass let him know that the phone belonged to a missing cop, he broke. 

Someone had given him the phone, paid him some money to toss it out in the desert. Someone had Bill, had hurt him. They had been trying to cover their tracks. But they chose the wrong person. Her eyes slid shut and she hoped that they weren't too late. 

The problem was his prints were the only other set of prints on the phone. He didn't have a name. He could barely give a good description. It was minimal at best but it was better than where they had been before the interrogation. They could gain a warrant to search the man's house and make sure that there was nothing else there. It was an almost impossible story to confirm. But if Bill wasn't at the house, they would have to run with it as a possibility.

She didn't think she would be able to handle a body recovery. Not that Gil would assign her to it. But she wouldn't be able to work, knowing he could be down the hall with Dr. Roberts. A whimper escaped her mouth and immediately, her hand clasped over it. She couldn't break down. No, that was unacceptable and wouldn't do anything to help. Still, it was hard to keep letting those emotions build, ignoring them becoming more and more difficult with each passing second. 

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. 

"Hey," Sara started quietly. "Maybe you should take a break. Get something to eat." It was coming from a place of caring, Isobel knew that. She hadn't missed the looks everyone was giving her. She had never received so much sympathy, or pity on her life. She shook her head.

"I'm fine. I need to keep working."

"You know it's okay not to be." She shook her head. 

"No, I'm really fine. This could mean something. I need to know." Sara couldn't bregrudge her that. If she was in that position, she wouldn't rest. 

"Okay. I'm going to at least order you something for dinner." There wasn't room there for any protest or argument from Isobel. She would have to give in. Already, her work wasn't optimal given her worry. She couldn't add starving herself. She nodded her consent and moved to look at the phone again. Maybe they could trace back to where the phone had been. It was an older model but it was worth a shot. The problem was he hadn't made any calls or texts that night. It would have made life a lot easier if he had. Nothing about this had been easy though so it fit the entire case. 

Her fingers ran over the phone, gloved and following protocol even though it was difficult to think straight. She opened it up and went through a couple of messages. Bill didn't use it a lot, mainly just to talk to her and order take out. Still, she couldn't help herself, going through some of the texts that they had exchanged recently. 

"Isobel…" She nearly jumped out of her skin when Gil's voice came drifting through the haze. She looked towards her boss. Gil was always a fairly serious individual around the lab, especially when it came to a case. He looked even more serious though and it brought a spike of fear. He stepped further into the lab. 

"I know you don't want to hear this, but we need to talk about it." His voice was gentle. He wasn't great with people but clearly he was ready to handle her with kid gloves. "You know the time table we are on and where we are at. We would all like to find him alive but you need to be prepared for the possibility that this is no longer a search but a recovery." The words hit her hard, causing a tremble in her hand. She sucked a breath in, trying to steady herself. Those weren't words that she wanted to hear, even when realistically, she knew it was a possibility. They were creeping ever closer to that mark and still had little to almost nothing to show. 

"I know."

"I know you know it. But there's a difference between knowing and accepting it." They only had another few hours before it officially shifted over, being called a recovery. He wouldn't be a missing person anymore. He would be assumed dead. They were looking for his body, not him. She couldn't stop the sob that escaped her as the thought took hold. She didn't hear the small sigh that came from Gil as she moved back from the table, managing to find a chair instead of collapsing to the ground. 

Gil stepped further into the room, stopping beside her and resting a hand on her shoulder. It was about as comforting as he could manage right now. Isobel tried to control herself, the soft cries that escaped her as the weight of everything finally came crashing down.

********

Another few days went by and it felt like nothing had changed. They were going in circles with everything still and it felt like they were no closer to finding Bill. Gil had given Isobel the day off. Given was the kind term, more like he had forced her to take a day. It did her no good, letting her perseverate on the entire situation and what had led them to this point. 

She was in the apartment, one of his shirts hung around her frame. The tv was on but nothing was really registering. She was just staring blankly at it, no interest in what was on. She had tried reading a book earlier but that had proved fruitless as well. 

She was just sitting there, unable to do anything that required any sort of focus. If she had been feeling useless before, it was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. Startled out of her thoughts, her phone was ringing. That was the tone she had set for work. Immediately, she lunged for it, scrambling and nearly falling off of the couch. She managed to grab it before it went to voicemail. 

"Hello?" She didn't know if she was hopeful or dreading what the voice on the other line might say.

"Isobel, you need to get to the labs now." That was Sara's voice. She was up on her feet and frantic in her search for her clothes, leaving his shirt on over hers in the process. It was the only thing granting comfort. 

"What is it?"

"We think we might have a location. At least where he had been." Again, she didn't know which way that comment tipped the scales. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. 

"I'll be there in fifteen. Leaving now."

"We won't leave without you." The call ended.

Managing to make the trip in exactly the time she said, she ran through the doors, only to be turned around and hurried back out. She settled into the SUV with Sara. Things were a bit of a whirlwind. Isobel wasn't sure where they even were when they pulled up to the house. The entire ride was a blur as she stepped out. Her eyes locked on the house though, unwavering as she realized that this could all be it. Uniformed and armed officers moved to the door, busting it open. The loud sound caused her to wince, shrinking down for a moment.

Sara kept a hold of her arm to keep her from walking towards the door. She wasn't in the right state of mind and if someone was still in there, she was going to end up hurt. No one wanted to see that. If Bill was in there, she was going to have a hard enough time dealing with it anyway. Waiting on bated breath, they could do nothing but stand there until they were given the all clear. It felt like it was taking an agonizingly long time, longer than usual. 

That waiting went out the window as soon as the shout of "We have a body" came echoing through the halls. Sara lost her hold on Isobel as the woman all but sprinted forward. She and Nick were quickly behind her. The house stunk, the smell of death and decay hanging heavy in the air. Nothing else registered right then. Nothing else mattered. There could be others in the house but they could barely be a blip on the radar. Isobel felt like her heart was in her throat as she stumbled in her rush towards wherever the call had come from. Body, not person. They had called out that they had a body. She stopped in the doorway.

His form was barely familiar, slumped over in a corner. Bloodied, dirty, broken. That was Bill though. There was no doubt about that. She couldn't move into the room, struggling to hold back a sob as she looked towards Captain Brass. The man was shaking his head, almost as if signaling that Bill wasn't there, it was just his body. But someone else was knelt down in front of Bill, trying to tell if he was alive or not. They didn't have a clear answer. It didn't look like he was breathing and from the scent that hung in the room, the blood that was splattered all over, it wasn't promising. She felt weak, knees buckling underneath her, sending her towards the ground. Nick was there to catch her, keep her from falling and offer a few soft encouraging words. There was a buzzing taking over her hearing as her eyes remained locked on the man in the corner, chest aching as she waited to know what was found.

"We got a weak pulse." Medics were immediately rushed in. There was no way to tell the sort of injuries he had sustained just by looking. The obvious were the obvious but it went deeper than that. It had to be extensive if the house was anything to go by. Days of torture and abuse had been suffered. He was alive but there wasn't any guarantee that he would remain that way. All she could do was have Nick guide her back to the SUV and let them bring her to the hospital to know just what might happen. 


End file.
